That cliffhanger things sounds SO frustrating. I e...

2005-10-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

That cliffhanger things sounds SO frustrating. I experienced the very same thing recently. In Robert Holdstock's "Mythago Wood" the protagonist's brother Christian goes from being a gentle, frail 20th-century man to a brutalized, coarsened warrior who wants to kill the protagonist (I won't give away the ending) and we don't see him for a period of years while this change is taking place. I was intrigued to find out what had happened to him in the meantime. It's fantasy, but totally psychologically realistic and it felt as though there must be an explanation somewhere.

So I was happy to find there was a sequel, "Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn" in which Christian is the narrator. But does it resolve any of the questions raised by the first book? Well, no. Partly a prequel, in fact it raises more - Christian sees a glimpse of his future self and is horrified at the idea that it's him. He's determined not to become that man - and the book ends soon after that.

There are two other books in the series, both of which are about completely different characters, and neither of which sheds any light. Come on Holdstock, write book five - I need to know!

Comments on Pie Not Included: The Well of Lost Plots (by Jasper Fforde)

That cliffhanger things sounds SO frustrating. I e...